I'll Protect You, or Die Trying
by Athena's Heart
Summary: There's an accident at Providence, and Six must confront a decision he's been trying to put off.


A/N: First Generator Rex story, i totally love the Holix pairing. Enjoy!

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><p>Six was doing his best keep his anxiousness at bay as he walked the halls of Providence with a little more haste than usual. He had been out training with Rex all day only to return to find headquarters in a post-chaotic state. He managed to pull aside a guard to get a situation update. Apparently while he was gone, a few EVOs had gone on a rampage, attacking Dr. Holiday before continuing on throughout the base until they could be contained.<p>

Guilt seeped into every fiber of his being, however not for the reasons one would assume. True, it was he who insisted that Rex leave all communication devices while they were training, which caused them to miss the emergency assistance call, but his guilt was for another; the good Doctor Holiday.

White Knight had chewed him out for taking Rex away with no means of contact. In that aspect, he had he could concede his choice was, in hindsight, not the wisest. Lesson Learned. His only regret was that Holiday had been injured in the process. She had been in critical condition when he arrived. Now, nearly fifteen hours, and quite a few stacks of paperwork, forms, and reports, later, he caught word that she had been stabilized.

He told himself she was fine. That it couldn't be too serious. The guard had to be over reacting, after all, he was a rookie, and it was clear he hadn't dealt with a crisis like that before. At least, that's what he told himself.

He finally reached her door. She had been moved to her quarters, at her insistent demand, and even then because it was relatively close to the medical wing. He had been to her room before, however, never inside.

He considered knocking, but didn't, assuming that, after such a taxing day, she'd be sleeping, as per the norm after such an ordeal. With a quick glance around the corridor, he slid his access card and quietly entered silently.

Holiday was lying on her side asleep just as he predicted. What he hadn't predicted was the accuracy of the rookie. The blankets rested on her hip, revealing a bandage wrapped upper torso. There were a variety of scratches and bruises littering her skin. Worst of all was her face. Three long scratch marks ran from her eye down to her neck. Six had seen a great many gory, disgusting things, but this rated in the upper half of his top ten.

He was slightly surprised that she had managed to get permission to sleep in her own room, but at the same time, not. She was a strong woman, determined, driven. In that way, he admired her. Above all, though, she was a good person, not corrupt, like so many in their profession.

She shifted in her sleep, as if she knew he was there. She always seemed to know when he was near by, whether she let on or not. He paused, until she stilled, before approaching the bed once more.

With each step closer, his instincts cried foul, his brain screamed at him to get a grip, but his heart had taken control. Within a foot of her bed, his brain won over and he paused. He knew he had a choice. One he'd been avoiding for quite sometime.

He was frozen on the spot as it dawned on him. This was his one chance; this opportunity was unlikely ever to come to him again. Just as he was going to take another step towards he bed, he heard the nurse, and ducked out of view.

The woman, an elderly woman who he vaguely recognized, gently woke Holiday and got to work changing her bandages. He almost gasped when he saw the state of her back. He could see part of Holiday's face in the light from the door. Teeth clenched and face straight, she stared ahead as the nurse did her work.

Finally, the nurse finished, assuring Holiday that the bandages wouldn't need changing until the morning, before leaving. She was back o78n her side the way he'd found her. When Six thought he'd waited long enough, he stepped out of his hiding place having decided to listen to his brain.

"I know you're there, Six," he heard her mumble. For a moment he didn't realize it was she who had spoken. Her voice was hoarse and lower than the pitch he was accustomed to.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, not quite sure of what to say. "I-uh," he was stopped by her soft voice.

"I was afraid you might have been hurt. They were saying no one could get in touch with you. I was worried," She continued as If he hadn't spoken at all.

He immediately felt a twang of guilt. Here she was, injured so severely, yet, she was still worried about him. He turned back around, decision made. He had been scared shitless when he found out about the attack. There was no way she could just be a coworker, not when he worried like that.

She pushed herself into a sitting position as he approached, turning to look at him, finally allowing him to see her whole face. He could hardly stifle the gasp that rose in his throat. He sat on the bed by her feet, a wave of tenderness washing over him.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here. To protect you," He said, reaching out to take her bandaged hand in his.

She didn't say anything, but reached up to take off his glasses. He made no move to stop her. He was tempted to close his eyes as the limited light darted around the glasses and lit up his face.

He hadn't known what to expect. She just smiled softly, resting the palm of her hand on his cheek. Neither said anything, but the silence was not awkward or uncomfortable as one might expect. After a few minutes, she settled down in her bed and took his hand, her energy drained.

"Just stay here until I go to sleep," she mumbled, her eyes fluttering closed and her breathing evening out.

He leaned down a kissed her softly on her head and spoke quietly, "I wont let this ever happen again. I'll protect you, or die trying,"

He didn't have to stay long, as she was asleep a few minutes later, but he did.

In fact, he didn't leave at all that night. When the nurse came around to change Holiday's bandages, he was still there, propped up against the wall, holding her hand.

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><p>AN: Drop a review if you've got a moment.


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